Artys of the Vale
by RiverlandsReborn
Summary: A single person can alter an entire story - and when Artys, son of Shaera the Fair, discovers his heritage from a device of great magic. Suddenly, he faces decisions and choices that can alter the fate of Westeros. And with the power of the game, he can change everything.
1. Chapter 1

Artys was not certain when he found it. His mother had given him leave to go play off near the pond that was a short distance away from their holdfast. He had been soaking in the pond, relaxed, when he heard his falcon, Orys, squall. Wondering what Orys was doing, he got out, drying off with a cloth and getting back into his smallclothes. He grabbed his breeches and shirt and got them on while he jogged, almost tripping. He found Orys, not with a mouse or perhaps weasel in his beak but a small crystal. Artys looked at the thing and picked up the crystal.

Suddenly, he felt his palm burn heavily, so bad he screamed, but it was over an instant later. The crystal had disappeared and in its place was a panel, smooth as glass. He looked at his palm and the crystal was gone, but he looked at the pane a moment later to find it blinking, with a smaller box saying, _Press Accept to start._ Under that was an accept pane. "By the Seven, is this the work of some foul god?" He asked himself, before pressing accept, despite himself.

Moments later, his master-at-arms, Ser Lyn Erranford sprinted up with two guards behind him. "Artys, are you alright?" One of the guards cried, looking around for his assailant. "It was... nothing. Orys just pecked me too hard, that's all." The guard looked at him suspiciously and beckoned for him to follow. Orys perched himself on Artys' shoulder, letting out a squall while Artys thought hard. _What in the name of the Father was that?_ His thoughts were broken by the small portcullis of their holdfast opening and his mother exiting.

She was getting older, but he could tell he got his good looks from her. She had clearly been a beautiful youth, which made it all the stranger his father had left her. She looked on with relief. "Why did you scream? You had me worried to the seven heavens themselves." Artys bowed his head, cowed. "Orys pecked me too hard while we were playing. I'm sorry mother." She looked at him with an interested glance but beckoned for him to follow.

"The mountain clans attacked one of the villages again. We need to send some guards to assist the villagers to the south, lest they lose faith in us." His mother turned to the castellan and shook her head. "No. We need to get assistance from one of the higher lords, this infestation is getting out of hand." Artys nodded his head at that slightly. They continued arguing about that subject for a time, most of which Artys stopped listening to. After a time, he opened his mouth. "It's getting late, mother. I believe I will retire for the night." She looked up and nodded assent.

He was toying with the thought of that strange crystal he found. He thought about what it might do, when suddenly a pane popped up. He looked in surprise and almost fell from his cot then.

 **Artys Arryn**

 **Son of Elbert Arryn and Shaera the Fair**

 **Age: 14**

 **Artys Stone is the son of Elbert Arryn and Shaera the Fair, the daughter of a small house. Artys was conceived shortly before Elbert left with Brandon Stark to head south, when he was sent up to deal with mountain clansmen to earn his spurs. Elbert married Shaera hastily before leaving. Artys is a fair-tempered lad who owns a pet falcon, Orys, named after the first Baratheon. He believes himself to be the son of a minor family of nobles.**

 **Level Four**

 **Exp: 400/600**

 **Attributes:**

 **Intelligence: 12**

 **Strength: 9**

 **Charisma: 10**

 **Luck: 14**

 **Wisdom: 6**

 **Perception: 8**

 **Perks:**

 **As High as Honor: Honor increases by 2x and decreases by 2x for any action where Honor is gained or lost.**

 **Fair: Boost to reputation to all maidens and certain men., +2 charisma**

 **Good swordsman: Swordsmanship skill increases 1.5x when training, +5% increase to damage when wielding a sword.**

The shock caused him to choke on his breath and he felt faint. He was the son of Elbert Arryn? He was an _Arryn?_ Questions raced through his mind, and he pressed one of the other tabs. It popped open but made no sound. Contained within was a small map, accurately drawn as if by one of those Essosi mapmakers he had seen peddling their wares, back when he had visited Gulltown with his mother. It showed all the plaed he had visited in the nearby area, some areas more highlighted and some less. Flipping to another part of this maps section, he saw the vale - or the outline of it. Much of it was dark and not seeable. A few paths around the area of the vale were explored but grey. _Obviously this means that areas i've visited more are more clear._

He began to flip through the tabs, pausing at one of the tabs. It flashed brightly, saying, **You can unlock two perks and assign thirty skill points.** He paused and looked at the perks. **Defender of the Vale: 20% increase to damage when battling the Mountain Clans of the vale.**

 **Scrounger: Much more likely to get money from quests.**

 **Swordsmanship Counts!: Every time you attack your enemy and get a critical you get thirty percent more experience for the strike - but only when using a sword.**

Artys considered himself good with numbers, by any means, but this was getting more and more confusing by the second. He barely understood the perks for now, so he flipped to the skills to figure out more about them.

 **Skills:**

 **Swordsmanship: Level 4. 45% to next level.**

 **Survival: Level 2. 26%**

 **Companion caretaking: Level 3. 2%**

 **Archery: Level 2. 0%**

He sighed again, growing even more frustrated now. He had absolutely no clue what the hell he was supposed to do with that. He flipped to the next tab.

 **Quests:**

 **(Only Available Tomorrow)**

 **Feed your Falcon: +50 xp**

 **Hard Training: +80 xp +10% Swordsmanship skill (Train with the master of arms)**

 **Harder Hunting: +100 xp +Shadowcat Cloak +20% Survival skill (Hunt the shadowcat that has been prowling around the woods nearby.)**

 **(Available Tonight)**

 **The Shining Pool: +? (Go to the pool when the moon is highest in the sky for a reward.)**

Artys accepted the one quest available to him.

Later that night he awoke at Dusk and pulled on his breeches, then his leather boots, then he shoved on a shirt. Artys looked out his first floor window and hopped out. Landing brusquely, he crouched down and began to move quietly through the woods. **Skill unlocked: Stealth.** He gasped at the notification but then clamped his mouth shut and kept moving. Artys spotted the pool and moved on. He looked at the moon and waited for ten or so minutes.

The moon reached its zenith and shown down on the pool directly. The pool went from murky and dark to clear and bright enough to see a good bit. He paused and searched around and then saw a glint. Reaching down into the pool and picking up the glint - and kicking up some dirt - looking at what he picked up. It was a necklace with a leather band, a gold crown and a white crystal imbedded in the gold crown. He unclasped the end and put it around his neck, clasping it again. Suddenly a notification popped up. **+1 to wisdom from the low magic item equipped!** He saw a glint of eyes in the wood, but they disappeared. Artys stepped back momentarily, collected himself, and went back to his room. Hopping in through the window, he took off his boots, hie breeches and his shirt and crawled back into bed, falling asleep.

Artys woke up and rolled over. _What a strange dream. I can't believe my brain thought that up._ He heard a bing and opened his eyes more, wiping away the blurriness with the back of his hand. _Usually you don't hear the servant bells at this time of day…_ He groaned, and pulled himself out of bed. He looked at his hand and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the panel he had seen in his dream. _Impossible._

Artys dressed hurriedly, barely looking as he shoved on his breeches, pulled on his socks and then his boots, then pulled a shirt over his head. He checked the panel again. The quest tab was flashing.

 **New Quest!**

 **Save the Village from the Mountain Clans. +500 xp, +10 Swordsmanship skill, +?**

 _Oh dear._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Artys pulled on his fur lined boots - all the protection he could get, from chills or from a stray arrow. Those barbarians were poor marksmen compared to the chivalry of the Vale. _With plate and steel did the Andals win the Vale_ , he suddenly recalled. Maester's were uncommon for small holdfasts such as this, so he had learned his history from a septon. He searched around in his chest for his chainmail byrnie and sallet that his grandfather, a hedge knight, had passed down to him. Pulling those out of the chest, he nodded his head in satisfaction. He pulled on the byrnie, adjusting it so it didn't pinch him so much - that always annoyed him. **Equipped Heirloom items! Heirloom items are items that have been passed down through the generations. With every generation passed down they grow a little bit stronger due to the life blood imbued into it from the many battles it has seen.** _Hmmph, more things to learn._

He dug around a bit more and found his heaviest cloak, and he pulled it around himself. Clasping it at his neck, he nodded his head. He had no looking pool in his room to check his reflection, but he figured it was fine. Pulling on the sallet and adjusting it to the sweet spot, he suddenly wished he had a visor, like he had seen on the sallets of a company of knights once. Artys sighed then. In the long run he wanted to be an Arryn too, to be a knight of chivalry, but how could he prove it?

 _A thought for another time. I have more urgent matters to attend to._ Artys dug around in the chest some more, looking for anything else. He grabbed his gloves and pulled them on. _Now comes the hard part._ Artys looked around, and then hopped out the window. He checked the map tab. A small dot showed him the village he was supposed to head to. But first, he had no weapon.

He snuck into the small armory and searched around. Picking up a longsword, he took the scabbard and attached it to his belt. He searched the few racks and picked up a lance. Feeling the weight in his hands, he held onto it and then thought. _A horse._

The horse he found was called Swyftfoot - renowned for his swiftness, but also for his price. The horse had been forty dragons, far too much, but he was necessary. Artys jumped up and then got a good hold in the saddle. The horse whinnied, almost annoyed. Artys spurred the horse on, and left the keep. _I hope this is for the best._

…

A while later, he arrived at the village. A few of the village watch had rung the bell and were putting up a defense, but they were only a handful and he counted five and ten mountain clansmen. Feeling his anger begin to boil, he began to gallop swiftly, couching his lance. One of the mountain clansmen turned and laughed. "You think you are great knight? I cut down twenty of your kind just this moon." He laughed, a bellowing guffaw that was cut short by a lance through his throat. He gurgled something and collapsed, the remains of the lance jammed in his throat. He dropped the lance handle and unsheathed his longsword. He galloped forward once more and swung wildly at one of the mountain clansmen, but he ducked and then cleaved at him with his axe. The axe dug into Swyftfoot's neck, and the horse screamed.

He wrenched himself sideways, leaping out of the saddle. He landed unsteadily on his feet and ducked one of the mountain clansman' attacks - _like a farmer with a scythe._ He rushed forwards and swung hard at one of the savages. The clansman leapt back and guffawed. In the corner of Artys' eye he spotted one of the mountain clansmen take a pitchfork through the chest, peircing the leather and skin and lifting the savage off his feet. The clansman he was facing attacked with a sweeping blow, and Artys' jumped back. He stumbled and fell, landing on his back. The mountain clansman snorted. "I'll take yer helm and shirt for me and leave the rest. Perhaps I'll feed your cock to my goat." He moved to cleave his axe into Artys' head. Artys weakly grasped for his blade, the wind knocked out of him.

The man stepped on his arm, nearly breaking the bone. "For resisting and giving me a fair fight, I feed your cock and fingers to goat." He swung his axe. Artys moved his head to the side, narrowly avoiding the honed edge of the axe. The mountain clansman pulled the axe out of the ground. Artys spat in his eye and the mountain clansman involuntarily flinched. It was all he needed. He kicked the man in the groin, causing him to bend over, groaning. Artys took that chance and grabbed his sword, piercing it through the man's closed eye. He pulled it back out with an audible _gloop_.

The mountain clansmen had killed two of the six village watch, and had lost six of their own. The looks on their faces showed deep worry. One of them turned,hawked, and spat on the ground. Then he hefted his bronze axe and charged at Artys. Artys blocked the first blow, but he felt his arm shriek in pain. Cursing, he switched hands - he felt much less confident using a sword with his left hand - and took a step back. The man swung his axe, knocking Artys' sword out of the way. Then he swung again, and though Artys managed to step back he felt the axe pierce his skin and then cleft into his chest. He grunted and swung his sword at the clansman, slicing deep into his shoulder. He nearly passed out from the pain but managed to keep conscious long enough to watch as the clansmen began to run.

Then he lost consciousness.

 **Author's Note: this is a short chapter due to the time crunch going on right now - finals are hectic - so this isn't going to be too long - and I decided not to add too much notifications and such because during the heat of a battle it wouldn't be feasible to check that. Rate and review - I appreciate constructive criticism.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

His first conscious thought was that his head hurt, badly. His second was that his throat was as parched as the deserts of Dorne. He opened his eyes and groaned, the sudden intrusion of light in his eyes burning. He groaned and rolled over, the image of the room slowly beginning to become clear. He looked around and saw a cup of water on his bedside. He reached out weakly, feeling his chest ache dully, but he grasped it with a frail hand and put the edge to his lips, downing it in a few parched gulps. Feeling better, he checked his hand. The display lit up and showed his current status.

 **Artys Arryn**

 **Level Five**

 **Att. points to assign: 12**

 **Condition: Chest Wounded -3 STR**

 **Weakened: Due to lack of exercise, you inflict 20% less damage on enemies until your muscles are back to their normal condition.**

Artys sighed, blinking from the harsh light, but he placed his attribute points all the same.

 **Intelligence: 13**

 **Strength: 15(-3)**

 **Charisma: 12**

 **Luck: 14**

 **Wisdom: 9**

 **Perception: 8**

At that point the local healer, Yaecob, entered his room. "Artys! You are awake. Perhaps that is not for the best though - at least for right now. Unfortunately I will have to reapply your bandages and poultices." Yaecob bowed his head in apology and absentmindedly traced a finger around the rim of the bowl of poultice he was carrying. "I would've done it sooner, but unfortunately I misplaced my last batch of herbs and had to pick more." Yaecob shuffled over, the crook in his back evident through the burlap robes he wore. Pulling back the furs, he pulled off the old bandage - Artys winced in pain and let out a harp gasp - but then it receded. As Yaecob reapplied the mashed herbs to his chest, Artys began to wonder. "How long have I been unconscious?" Yaecob paused. "A sennight and a half, mayhaps. News of your little skirmish reached your mother that long ago, at least, and that was when she requested my aid."

Artys placed his head back on his pillow and sighed, closing his eyes. His mother would be furious with him now. She might take away his rights - keep him from the horses and the hunts that happened often in the late summer. For an arduous moment he worried she might even stop him from training in the yard, but that would be foolish - he needed the exercise. Yaecob finished up and began to shuffle out. "I'm afraid I must tell your mother of this news." Artys groaned and clenched his eyes closed.

A few minutes later he heard the clack of shoes on the hard floor and sighed deeply. Artys opened his eyes and looked at the doorway. His mother stood in the doorway, looking like she had aged much. "Oh, Gods be good, you are awake. For a long while we were uncertain you would live. Similar wounds have killed greater men, Artys." She walked over to him and gave him a hug for a few scant seconds. Then she pulled back and a look of frustration came over her face, and Artys knew what was coming.

"Artys, how _DARE_ you go out and try to fight mountain clansmen? You could have **died.** You didn't think of the consequences, you charged head-first into danger and got yourself gravely injured. You also got one of our best horses killed. For that, you are not allowed to go horseback riding for a moon." She scowled and walked out in a huff. Artys scowled to himself and tried to get out of bed. His legs wobbled but held under him - even if his balance was fragile. Feeling the breeze on his legs, he searched through his trunk and pulled out some breeches, a shirt, and pair of boots. At least he had his smallclothes on, which was a small blessing. He pulled on his breeched, then his shirt, then his boots. _I've got some quests to do,_

 **Quests:**

 **Harder Hunting: +100 xp +Shadowcat Cloak +20% Survival skill (Hunt the shadowcat that has been prowling around the woods nearby.)**

 **Feed your Falcon: +50xp**

 **Regaining your strength: +70xp +You regain some strength (Go out into the yard and train)**

Artys accepted all the quests and walked out the door. Heading out to the small kitchen he stole his way inside from a side door. Dodging the three cooks and their assistants walking about he snatched a few pieces of chicken as well as a loaf of rye bread. Hobbling out of the other side door, he whistled a sharp, piercing call. Orys cried out and after a short time the falcon flew right towards him. Artys lifted his arm up and Orys landed adeptly on his forearm. "It's good to see you again, Orys. Gods only know what you have been up to for the last sennight and a half." He grinned and offered Orys a piece of chicken. Orys squalled and then chomped it down. After feeding Orys the rest of the chicken he at his loaf of bread, savoring the taste of it in his still slightly parched throat. **+50xp!**

Orys gave a testing flap of his wings then took off, Flying higher, the bird reached a steady height and then began to circle around. Artys stood up, brushed the bread crumb off his legs, and then began to walk. It was slow, and occasionally he winced in pain when he moved wrong, but he only sighed in resignation and kept at it.

Ser Lyn turned from the platoon of men-at-arms he was inspecting a let out a sharp gasp of surprise. "Well I'll be! Artys, up and about. You may be a damn fool, but you're lucky, lad, and you've got determination. Your father would have been proud." Ser Lyn took on a look of remniscience and Artys winced lightly out of habit. Mentions of his father once made him feel demure, setting him off unto a path of memories. Now he just felt bitter, remembering the tales every Vale lordling got told - of how Elbert Arryn had been killed along with Brandon Stark. He would never meet his father.

Ser Lyn came out of his trance and coughed suddenly. "Dorin, Jon, you know your orders. Artys, I won't stop you from working back to fitness, but you must agree to take it slow." Artys paused and nodded his head. Ser Lyn took on a grim smile. "Three laps around the castle - jogging, boy, I don't need you wounded again and the Lady chewing me out." Then Ser Lyn shooed Artys away and Artys took off jogging around the keep,

…

 **A/N Well, that's a wrap! I'm hoping to get another chapter done by sunday - and when summer comes around expect more chapters too. Anyways, rate and review, and I bid you adieu.**


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